Rubber with built-in boot jack

ABSTRACT

A SOOT RUBBER OR BOOT IS PROVIDED WITH AN ELONGATED PULL TAB EXTENDING REARWARDLY FROM THE HEEL PORTION TO PERMIT THE TOE OF THE OTHER FOOT TO SECURE THIS TAB TO THE FLOOR WHILE LIFTING UPON THE SHOE TO REMOVE THE HEEL OF THE SHOE FROM THE HEEL PORTION OF THE RUBBER. THE HEEL PORTION OF THE RUBBER IS PREFERABLY PROVIDED WITH A LINER OR OTHER RIGID MATERIAL ADHERED TO THE INSIDE OF THE NORMAL FLEXIBLE RUBBER MATERIAL TO RENDER THE HEEL PORTION RIGID AND STIFF TO FACILITATE THE REMOVAL OF THE SHOE BUT ALSO THE EASY INSERTION OF THE HEEL OF THE SHOE INTO THE RUBBER WHILE IN A STANDING POSITION AND WITHOUT HAVING TO PULL THE RUBBER OVER THE SHOE FROM SITTING POSITION. THE PULL TAB CAN BE AGAIN IN THE FORM OF A VERTICALLY-EXTENDING LOOP WHICH WHEN COLLAPSED IS FLAT-   TENDED UPON THE FLOOR BY THE TOE AND WHICH WHEN RUBBER IS BEING WORN SERVE AS A STORAGE FOR A TOE FILLER BODY WHICH CAN BE USED IN THE TOE OF THE SHOE TO RENDER THE RUBBER TIGHT UPON THE FOOT ON CERTAIN OCCASIONS. FOR A FURTHER FORM OF THE INVENTION A PULL TAB IS ANCHORD TO THE LOWER PORTION OF THE HEEL AND EXTENDS UPWARDLY OVER THE OUTER SURFACE OF THE HEEL PORTION AND IS RETAINED BY A TRANSVERSELY-EXTENDING ELASTIC LOOP LEAVING THE UPPER END OF THE TAB ACCESSIBLE FOR PLACING THE FOOT OVER THE SAME AND FOR LOWERING THE PULL TAB TO THE FLOOR TO HOLD THE RUBBER BY THE PULL TAB AS THE SHOE IS LIFTED FROM THE RUBBER.

Nov. 23, 1971 GouDMERs-rElN RUBBER WITH BUILT-IN BOOT JACK 2ShQets-Shoot l Filed Aug. 21, 1970 ISAAC GOLDMERSTEIN A 'ffm/mm,

NOV 23, 1971 l. GOLDMERSTEIN 3,621,591

RUBBER WITH BUILT-IN BOOT JACK Filed Aug. 21. 1970 United States Patent-Ofee 3,021,592 Patented Nov. 23, 11971 U.S. Cl. 36-2.S lRY 5 ClaimsABSTRACT F THE DISCIJUSUIRE A foot rubber or boot is provided with anelongated pull tab extending rearwardly from the heel portion to permitthe toe of the other foot to secure this tab to the iloor while liftingupon the shoe to remove the heel of the shoe from the heel portion ofthe rubber. The heel portion of the rubber is preferably provided with aliner or other rigid material adhered to the. inside of the normalflexible rubber material to render the heel portion rigid and stiff tofacilitate the removal of the shoe but also the easy insertion of theheel of the shoe into the rubber while in a standing position andwithout having to pull the rubber over the shoe from a sitting position.The pull tab can be again in the form of a vertically-extending loopwhich when collapsed is flattened upon the oor by the toe and which whenrubber is being Worn serve as a storage for a toe ller body which can beused in the toe of the shoe to render the rubber tight upon the foot oncertain occasions. For a further form of the invention a pull tab isanchored to the lower portion of the heel and extends upwardly over theouter surface of the heel portion and is retained by atransversely-extending elastic loop leaving the upper end of the tabaccessible for placing the foot over the same and for lowering the pulltab to the oor to hold the rubber by the pull tab as the shoe is liftedfrom the rubber.

This invention relates to rubbers and boots and more particularly tobuilt-in boot jack means for the removal of the rubber or boot from theshoe.

It is the principal object of the present invention to provide a simplebuilt-in boot jack means for rubbers or boots to which a foot can beapplied for the purpose of removing the rubber or boot from the shoe ofthe wearer and to render it much easier and quicker to take olf rubbersand boots.

It is another object of the invention to provide in foot rubbers astilfe-ning lining in the heel portion so as t0 permit the insertion ofthe foot into the rubber while the rubber is on the floor and withoutthe need of pulling rubbers on to the shoe but rather to force the shoeand foot into the rubber while the rubber is on the floor.

It is still another object of this invention to provide a rubber whichcan be put on the foot without using the hands and with less time thanis usually used in removing a rubber from the foot, the timel requiredbeing less than ten seconds.

It is still another object of the invention to provide a rubber with areinforcement of the heels providing for a stiff rubber heel portionwhich will facilitate the forcing of the foot into the rubber and theremoval of the rubber from the shoe.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a rubber that can bereadily placed on the shoe by forcing the shoe into the rubber while therubber is on the floor and also wherein the rubber can be readily andeasily removed from the shoe in which provision is provided, if the userdesires the rubber to be tight upon the foot in a small toe filler thatcan be normally carried by the pull tab but removable therefrom can beinserted into the toe of the rubber to cause the rubber to have a tightlit upon the shoe.

Other objects of the invention is to provide a rubber or boot having theabove objects in mind, which is a simple construction, easy tomanufacture, adds to the life of the rubber or boot, eicient andeffective in use.

For a better understanding of the invention, reference may be had of thefollowing detailed description taken in connection with the accompanyingdrawing, in which:

FIG. l is a perspective View of rubber foot wear embodying the featuresof the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged side elevational view of one of the rubbers withthe heel portion broken away to show the construction thereof.

IFIG. 3 is a top plan view of the rubber.

FIG. 4 is an end elevational view thereof.

FIG. 5 is a longitudinal sectional view of the full rubber as viewed online 5--5 of FIG. 3l.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the rigid liner for the heel removedfrom the rubber.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a rubber employing a toe ller adapted tobe carried at the rear thereof by the rubber pulling tab.

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary longitudinal sectional view of toe portion ofthe rubber as viewed on line 8-8 of FIG. 7.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the toe ller removed from the rubber.

lFIG. l0 is a rear perspective View of the rubber showing the manner inwhich the toe iller is carried by the loop pull tab of the rubber in itsout-of-use position.

FIG. 11 is a longitudinal sectional view of the heel portion of therubber with the toe ller removed from the loop tab and with the footbeing applied to the loop for the ller to remove the rubber from a heelof a shoe.

FIG. l2 is a rear and side perspective view of a further modified formof the invention in which the pull tab is retained under atransversely-extending stretchable or elastic strap portion.

FIG. 13 is a fragmentary side elevational view of the heel portion ofFIG. 12 with illustration being made as to the manner in which the pulltab is rested upon the floor surface and the transverse strap isstretched to effect the pulling of the rubber from the shoe.

FIG. 14 is a perspective view of' a pair of lightweight overshoes orboots having a pull tab of FIG. 12 located on the inner side of the bootand normally retained by a stretch loop, the stretch loop beingstretched as the foot is applied to the tab and the shoe lifted from theboot, or the tab being removed from the loop to permit stepping uponmore of the tab.

Referring now particularly to FIGS. 1 to 6, there is shown a pair ofrubbers 1S, 16 made of ordinary flexible or stretch rubber into which ashoe 17 is extended when the rubber is worn which has a toe portion 18and a drop heel portion 19. An integrally-formed pull tab 21 extendsrearwardly from the heel portion and is of such length, as illustratedin FIG. l, that the toe of the other foot can be applied to this tab andupon effecting the lifting action as illustrated in both FIGS. 1 and 2of the shoe, the shoe will be lifted out of the rubber in a matter ofseconds and the rubber readily made free of the foot.

The toe portion 18 is preferably formed without the usual forward tongueso as to facilitate the insertion of the foot into the rubber. The usualtongue of the rubber is not needed for the pulling of the rubber on oroff the shoe. In order to make easy the further insertion of the footinto the rubber, the heel portion is provided with a rigid or stiffliner 22 that lines the heel portion and gives to the same rigidity notprovided by the rubber itself. The rigid liner will make the heelportion of the rubber self-supporting when adhered or stitched to theinner wall of the heel portion so that the foot when placed in the toeportion of the rubber 18 can easily have the heel of the shoe of thewearer extended or slid downwardly into the heel portion of the rubber.In this manner, the rubber is made such that it cannot only be easilyplaced upon the shoe by the wearer from the full standing position,thereby eliminiating the need for sitting down when applying the rubberto the shoe, but also permits easy sliding of the heed out of the heelportion as shown in FIG. 2, when the pull tab 21 is stepped upon toeffect pulling of the rubber from the shoe.

This piece 22 can be sewn into the heel portion. The liner is preferablymade from plastic material which is much more rigid than the heel rubberso that the heel portion 19 when the liner is in place will be heldverticallyextended will become rigid. This renders the rubber heelportion self-supporting and facilitates greatly the insertion thereintoand removal of the shoe heel therefrom. Thus, the rigid liner 22 notonly facilitates the placing of the rubber over the shoe heel but helpsto permit the easy detachment of the heel portion from the shoe heelwhen the pull tab 21 is stepped upon and the rubber held in place uponthe floor as the heel of the shoe is lifted.

Liner 22 has the shape of the heel and is flanged or flared at its topas indicated at 23 to overlie the upper edge of the heel portion 19 ofthe rubber. This liner is of such size, or can be cut to such size as tolay fully within a depressed heel sole 24 with its forward edges 25 and26 terminating at the forward end of the heel depression and theseforward portions 25 and 26 are preferably tapered to fit clearly and toeliminate any edge obstruction when stepping into the shoe or uponremoving the rubber from the shoe. The height of the liner 22 is theheight of the heel portion 19 so that its daring 23 lies over the upperedge of the heel portion. The liner not only can be secured by cementingthe same to the inner face of the heel portion but also by stitchingsuch as indicated at 27 just beneath the flaring 23 and around the fullextent of the liner.

While these rubbers have been described for the provision of a liner 22,or 34, it should be understood that this liner effect can be provided inthe heel by a more solid layer of material molded into the heel portionor by a coating of rigid plastic material sprayed into the inside of therubber and upon hardening serving to provide the rigidity that is neededfor the proper use of the rubber with the foot for these purposes ofplacing the rubber upon the foot and for the removal of the same. Also,the heel portion of the rubber can be made itself of any composition ofmaterial that would make it rigid and surfaced to permit easy sliding ofthe heel of the shoe thereover upon insertion and removal thereof.

Referring now to FIGS. 7, 8, 9 and 10, there is shown a rubber 31constructed according to another form of the invention which has a toeportion 32 and a heel portion 33. Within the heel portion is a liner 34of rigid material serving to support the rubber heel portion 33. On therear of the heel portion 33, there is a pull loop 36 which can beattened as shown in FIG. 1l to serve as a tab that can be stepped on bythe other and which serves as a storage device for a solid toe filler 37that can be put in the toe of a shoe as illustrated in FIGS. 7 and 8 sothat the rubber while being cut loose to render the rubber more easy tput on and remove can be made more tight by the toe filler 37. This toefiller is preferably convexly curved on its face to conform with the toeof the rubber and as indicated at 38 and is inwardly or concavely curvedon its inner face 39 to accommodate the toe of the shoe. When it isdesired to have the rubbers tight upon the foot for long wear or wear inmud or deep snow, this toe filler 37 can ybe used. At other times whenthe rubber may soon be removed and it is not necessary to have tightwear of the rubber, this filler 37 is stored in the elastic pull loop 36that can be stretched to easily accommodate the toe filler. As best seenin FIG. l0, the toe filler is put within the loop 36 so that its shoetoe face 39 is fiush against the rounded exterior face of the heelportion 33 of the rubber.

Referring now to FIGS. 12, and 13, a rubber 41 has a heel portion 42 towhich a pull tab 43 is molded at the base of the heel portion andextends normally upwardly therefrom through an elastic loop 44 extendedacross the rear of the heel portion and providing for an upper flexibleend 45 which can be reached by the toe of another rubber and pulleddownwardly as shown in FIG. 13 with the elastic loop 44 stretching andthe heel portion pulled rearwardly to release the heel of the shoe fromthe rubber heel portion 42. Upon release of the tab 43 the stretchedelastic 44 will return the pull tab 43 to its normal flush engagementwith the rear of the heel portion and out of the way. An advantage ofthis tab is that it does not interfere with walking and is automaticallyheld ush upon the heel portion of the rubber when not being used.

In FIG. 14, there is shown flexible cover boot or overshoe provided witha similar pull tab to that of FIGS. 13 and 14 which instead of beinglocated on the rear of the heel portion is located on the side of theboot as indicated by 51. This tab 51 is molded or adhered to the side ofthe boot 52 and its end extends upwardly through an elastic loop 53 torender adjustable its upper end 54. The toe of the other foot canreadily step upon the end 54 and the elastic loop 53 drawn to the floorwith the stretching of the loop 53 so that the heel of the boot is helddown while the shoe is being lifted from the boot. It should beunderstood that the tab 51 can be removed also with a greater pullingupward by simply withdrawing the end of the tab 54 from the end of theloop 53 as illustrated. There has been provided rubbers and boots withbuilt-in boot jack means to which a foot can be readily applied ineffecting the pulling of the shoe from the rubber, the rubber beingsustained upon the floor or ground by the foot pressing against a heeltab carried on the heel portion of the rubber or boot.

It should also be understood that by the provision of a rigid linerfilling the heel that the action of pulling the rubber or boot can bemore easily effected since the shoe heel can slide easily over the heelportion of the rubber. And that also the provision of this relativelyrigid liner that the shoe heel can be extended into the rubber withoutthe need for pulling the rubber over the shoe and While in a standingposition with the rubber being kept flat upon the floor.

What is claimed is:

1. A rubber boot or the like to provide a covering for shoes comprisinga toe portion and a heel portion, a pull tab on the heel portioncomprising a collapsible loop adapted to be stepped upon by the toe ofthe other foot and a toe filler conforming in shape generally to theinterior of the toe of the rubber and to the toe of a shoe, said fillerbeing adapted to be stored through the loop tab puller, one of its facesconforming generally to the contour of the rear surface of the heelportion.

2. A rubber boot or the like serving to provide a covering for shoescomprising a toe portion and a heel portion, a pull tab secured to thebottom of the heel portion and extending upwardly over the heel portion,means associated with the heel portion and the tab to hold the tab inits vertically-extended position upwardly over the heel portion, saidtab having an upper end engageable by the toe of the shoe of the otherfoot and being bendable downwardly when the other foot is applied to theupper end of the tab to substantially extend the tab and provide a goodgrip of the toe of the other shoe thereupon and said associated meansserving to automatically return the tab to its position over the heelwhen the other shoe is removed from the tab.

3. A rubber boot or the like serving to provide a covering for a shoe asdefined in claim 2 and said associated means comprising a transverselyextending elastic loop surrounding the tab, said loop being stretchable.

4. A rubber boot or the like serving to provide a covering for a shoe asdened in claim 1 and a rigid liner conforming in shape to the interiorof the face of the heel portion and secured thereto, said liner being ofrelatively rigid sheet material to stiifeu the rubber heel portion.

5. A rubber boot or the like serving to provide a covering for a shoe asdefined in claim 4 and said liner being ared outwardly and of a heightadapted to permit the flaring of the liner and to extend over the upperedge of the heel portion, the aring serving to facilitate the insertionof the heel of the shoe into the heel portion of the rubber boot or lthelike.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,283,423 1l/1966 Schovec 36-2.5RY 2,088,976 8/1937 Resnik 36-2.5 RY 2,188,603 1/1940 Hamalainen 36-2.5RY

10 PATRICK D. LAWSON, Primary Examiner

